Rail-clamp



C. W. HILL.

RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION- mzo MAR. e. 1919.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920'.

CHARLES WILLIAM HILL, OF FOREST CITY, ILLINOIS.

RAILCLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

Application filed March 6, 1919.' Serial No. 280,985.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forest City, in the county of Mason and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to rail clamps, and more particularly to rail clamps designed for blocking or chocking rolling stockl upon railway rails, the said clamps being particularly designed for use in blocking steam shovels and other analogous machines which travel over a track and are maintained stationary during their operation.

An object of the invention is to provide a clamp structure which is attached to the railway rails in such manner as to allow free forward movement of the rolling stock, but prevent backward or rearward movement, and clamps which can be placed in working position, or removed from connection with a rail, in a very short space of time, said clamp eliminating the employment of keys or analogous fastening devices which have to be driven in place to properly attach many of the clamps ordinarily used.

More specifically, the invention comprehends the provision of a rail clamp as specified, comprising a main blocking or chocking block having an arcuate wheel periphery engaging portion, depending clamp members adapted to engage beneath the ball of a rail of a railway track anda movable clamp which is supported at one end of the chocking block and has a lever connected thereto, which lever is pivotally supported, by means of a link, from the main body or chocking block in such manner that upon pivotal movement of the lever across'the end of the chocking block, the clamp which is connected to the lever will be drawn into firm binding engagement with the ball of a railway rail to maintain the clamp in proper position.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following detailed'descri'ption', taken in connection with the accompanying draw-- ings, forming a part of this specification and in which drawings: v

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved rail clamp showing the same in op erative position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the rail clamp showing the movable clamping member op erating lever in section.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the rail clamp showing the movable clamping member in an open position, and

Fig. 4; is an end elevation of the rail clamp, showing the movable clamping member in clamping engagement with a rail.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A indicates an ordinary rail used in railway track construction and to which the improved clamp generically indicated by the numeral 1 is applied.

The clamp structure 1 includes the main body 2 comprising an upstanding web mem ber upon the forward end of which is formed a pair of laterally extending flanges, 3, the outer faces of which are flush with the forward or outer edge of the web 2 and are arcuate, being concavely curved as shown at 4, for properly fitting the periphery of the wheel of any suitable type of rolling stock indicated at B of the drawing.

Laterally extending flanges 5 and 6 are formed upon the upstanding web 2 at the base thereof, and these flanges have substantially U-shaped clamps 7 and 8 respectively, formed thereon, the inner ends of the lower sides of which are preferably cut or inclined as shown in dotted lines at 9 in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to permit the mount ing of the main body of the clamp structure upon the rail. This mounting is accomplished by positioning the clamp structure above the rail, and at an acute angle thereto, so that the ball of the rail A may pass upwardly between the inclined inner ends 9 of the clamp structures 7 and 8, after which the clamp structure is moved into parallel relation with the rail, and the angled ends 9 will engage the ball of the rail A.

The web or upstanding plate2 has a pair of laterally extending ears 10 formed upon one side thereof near its outer end, and these ears form bearings for a pin 11 upon which one end of a link 12 is pivotally mounted. The link 12 has its end opposite the end which is mounted upon the pin 7, pivotally connected to a boss 13 formed upon the lever socket member 14. The lower end of the lever carrying socket member 14 is pivotally connected by means of a pin 15 to a rail clamp 16 which has a substantially U-shaped clamping edge formed thereon for enga ement a ainst the opposite side of the rail 3 from the side upon which the pivot pin 15 is positioned. The member 14 has a socket 17 formed upon its upper end which is adapted to receive a handle bar or lever 18 for rocking the member 14: and when the lever 18 is movedacross the end of the upstanding web or plate 2, the clamping member 16 is brought into firm binding engagement with the topof the ball of the rail A and with the portion of the web of the rail directly beneath the ball thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 41 of the drawings, securely clamping the rail clamp in position and'preventing movement of the rail clamp upon the rail A. The boss 13 has a flat portion or edge 19 which when the lever 18 is moved across the end of the body 2 will be forced into flat engagement with the upper surface of the clamping member 16, at which tlme the pivotal connection between the link 12 V ,and le'ver socket member 1 1 is substantially in horizontal alinement with the pivot pin 15 and which also holds the member 14 in its proper position. After the clamping member 16 has been forced into firm clamping engagement with the rail 8, the handle or lever 18 may be removed from the socket.

The setscrews 20 are carried by the clamp structure 7 and 8 for binding engagement against the ball of the rail A to further prevent any movement of the clamp structure 1 longitudinally along the rail.

A set screw 21 is also carried by the movable clamp structure 16 and these set screws permit the use of the rail clamp upon rails of different weight, providing a single clamp adapted to be used upon different sized rails, necessitating only the adjustment of the set screws 20 and 21.

Changes'in details may be made without departing from the spirit 01" this invention, but; 7

I' claim:

1. In a rail clamp, the combination, witl a main body having rail engaging clamps thereon, of a movable clamping member pivotally supported at one end of the body, means for moving said movable clamp into clamping engagement with a rail, and a rail engaging member adjustably carried. by said pivoted clamp.

Y 2. In a railiclamp, a main body, laterally extending flanges formed at one end of said body and having their outer faces flush with the. end of the body and concavely curved .for peripheral engagement with a wheel of rolling stock, a pair of laterally ertendingrail clamps formed upon said body and p'roj -ecting from opposite sides thereof, and set screws adjustably carried by said rail clamping member.

'3. 'In a rail clamp, a main body, laterally extending'flanges formed at one'end of said body and having their outer faces flush with. the end of the body and concavely curved for peripheral engagement with a wheel of rolling stock, a pair of laterally extending rail clamps formed upon said body and projecting from opposite sides thereof, and set screws adjustably carried by said rail clamping members, a movable clamping member pivotally supported at one end of the body and means for moving said movable clamp into clamping engagement with a rail. 7

4. In a rail clamp, the combination, of a main body, a pair of laterally extending rail engaging clamps formed upon said body, one end of said body shaped for peripheral engagement with a wheel of rolling stock, a lever, a link connection between said lever and said main body,'and a clamping member pivotally connected to said lever and adapted to bemove'd into clamping engagement with a rail upon the movement of a lever across the end of said body.

5. In a rail clamp, the combination, of a main body, a pair of laterally extending rail engaging clamps formed upon said body, one end of said body shaped for peripheral engagement with a wheel of rolling stock, a lever, a link, connection between said lever and said main body, and a clamping member pivotally connected to said le ver and adapted to be moved into clamping engagement with a rail upon the movement of a lever across the end of said body, set screws adjustably carried by said body car ried clamping 'member and said movable clamping member and adapted for engagement with a rail.

6. A rail clamp Comprising a body portion, a pair of downwardly extending lateral clamping members formed upon said body for engagement upon opposite sides of a rail to center the clamp on a rail, and a movable clamping member associated with said main body, means for moving said movable clamping member into clamping en.- gagement with a rail, and rail engaging members adjustably carried by said clamping member.

7. A rail clamp comprising a. body portion, a pair of downwardly extending lateral clamping members formed upon said body for engagement upon opposite sides of a rail to center the clamp on a rail, a movable clamping member associated with said main body, means for moving said movable clamping member into clamping engagement with a rail, rail engaging members adjustably carried by said clamping member, and means for locking said movable clamp in a rail clamping position- 8. In a rail clamp, a main body adapted to lie upon a rail and in parallelism therewith, lateral flanges formed upon one end of said body, the outer surfaces of said flanges,

for moving said movable clamp member into clamping engagement with a rail.

9. In a rail clamp, a main body adapted to lie upon a rail and in parallelism therewith, lateral flanges formed upon one end of said body, the outer surfaces of said flanges being coneavely curved and merging into the base of the body forming a point for insertion beneath a wheel of rolling stock, rail engaging clamps formed upon said body, and a movable clamping member pivotally supported at one end of the body, and means for moving said movable clamp member into clamping engagement with a rail, set screws adjustably carried by said clamping members and adapted for adjustment to bind against the sides of a ball of a rail.

10. In a rail clamp, a main body having one end shaped for peripheral engagement with a Wheel of rolling stock, a pair of laterally extending rail clamps formed upon said body and projecting from opposite sides thereof, set screws adjustably carried by said rail clamping members, a movable clamping member pivotally supported at the end of the body remote from said shaped end, and means for moving said movable clamp into clamping engagement with the rail.

CHARLES WILLIAM HILL. 

